Latest Comments by TheSHEEEP
Valve and others fined by the European Commission for 'geo-blocking' (updated)
21 Jan 2021 at 10:04 am UTC Likes: 3
This gave me a headache (seriously, VAT rules are bonkers), but while doing that it also became clear that regional pricing is not a problem (including digital goods).
What is a problem is regional discrimination: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/pricing-payments/index_en.htm#shortcut-4 [External Link]
tl;dr: You cannot charge someone more or less in your local store (e.g. Polish Steam front) if they come from a different country (e.g. Sweden). In other words, if you went to the trouble of going to the Steam front of a different EU country, you cannot be charged more and most definitely cannot be prevented from playing in your own country.
People are - more than anything - lazy. The effort of going through a VPN or something similar to access a different storefront is already beyond the vast majority of people.
That laziness (and the same unreasonable fear) is also the reason a few devs/publishers don't set up regional prices - you want to blame those, not the few people who go the extra mile to save some money.
A bigger problem are illegitimate key resellers, since they are easy to access for everyone and some people don't care that developers don't get any money from sales on these platforms. But that's a very different topic.
Laziness / convenience trumps everything - as long as Steam does not on its own and automatically offer you the cheapest price you could legally get, such a scenario won't happen.
Honestly, when it comes to games, even I don't do that - games are simply too cheap (and on sale often anyway) for me to bother. I was mostly talking about larger purchases when it concerns myself, e.g. I got my electric standing desk from a different country as I found a store there where I "only" had to pay 400€ instead of 700€ (incl. delivery).
Also, could you please point me to the mythical EU country that has 10% of another EU country's pricing? Sounds useful.
21 Jan 2021 at 10:04 am UTC Likes: 3
Quoting: ArtenThere are different rules, but those are mostly tax related. Unfortunately, I had the "pleasure" of having to dive into EU tax laws for trading and the many differences between physical and digital goods/services.Quoting: TheSHEEEPThe amount of made-up-fact posts in this thread is pretty ridiculous.If i remember correctly there are different rules for physical goods and purely digital. So, you compare apples with oranges.
Quoting: mphuZThis is NOT about regional pricing, it is about region locking within the EU.Regional pricing is not only legal, it is perfectly normal - you pay different prices for the same thing in different countries - the EU is no exception. I've been in seven countries within the EU (not counting airport stops) and went shopping (groceries, etc.) in all of them, and almost ALL prices differ from country to country.
This gave me a headache (seriously, VAT rules are bonkers), but while doing that it also became clear that regional pricing is not a problem (including digital goods).
What is a problem is regional discrimination: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/pricing-payments/index_en.htm#shortcut-4 [External Link]
tl;dr: You cannot charge someone more or less in your local store (e.g. Polish Steam front) if they come from a different country (e.g. Sweden). In other words, if you went to the trouble of going to the Steam front of a different EU country, you cannot be charged more and most definitely cannot be prevented from playing in your own country.
Quoting: mphuZDo you understand that one thing leads to another? No?I understand that one thing does not lead to another. Didn't happen when large-scale geo-blocking was still a thing, and didn't happen since it isn't anymore.
People are - more than anything - lazy. The effort of going through a VPN or something similar to access a different storefront is already beyond the vast majority of people.
That laziness (and the same unreasonable fear) is also the reason a few devs/publishers don't set up regional prices - you want to blame those, not the few people who go the extra mile to save some money.
A bigger problem are illegitimate key resellers, since they are easy to access for everyone and some people don't care that developers don't get any money from sales on these platforms. But that's a very different topic.
Quoting: x_wingI really fail to see how forcing that the activation of a key on every country of the EU will not translate in the same rule for anyone that wants to buy a game using a VPN and a foreign credit card.Thankfully, that fear has been proven wrong over the last decade and if you look at the store, somewhat varying prices within the EU are normal (for devs/publishers that bother to set them up to begin with, which some don't).
Laziness / convenience trumps everything - as long as Steam does not on its own and automatically offer you the cheapest price you could legally get, such a scenario won't happen.
Quoting: mphuZBut this geo-blocking is aimed at freeloaders who want to get games for 10% of the price in their region.Seems to me you're envious of people who know at least somewhat how to make the most out of their money and are not afraid of going an extra step for that. You should always go where you are treated best - and so should your money.
Those of us within the EU who know how to make a deal...It is because of people like you that geo-blocking was created.
Honestly, when it comes to games, even I don't do that - games are simply too cheap (and on sale often anyway) for me to bother. I was mostly talking about larger purchases when it concerns myself, e.g. I got my electric standing desk from a different country as I found a store there where I "only" had to pay 400€ instead of 700€ (incl. delivery).
Also, could you please point me to the mythical EU country that has 10% of another EU country's pricing? Sounds useful.
Valve and others fined by the European Commission for 'geo-blocking' (updated)
20 Jan 2021 at 9:17 pm UTC Likes: 2
20 Jan 2021 at 9:17 pm UTC Likes: 2
The amount of made-up-fact posts in this thread is pretty ridiculous.
A good rule: if you don't know what you are talking about, don't talk about it. At least look up some official information before embarrassing yourself like that.
This is NOT about regional pricing, it is about region locking within the EU.
Regional pricing is not only legal, it is perfectly normal - you pay different prices for the same thing in different countries - the EU is no exception. I've been in seven countries within the EU (not counting airport stops) and went shopping (groceries, etc.) in all of them, and almost ALL prices differ from country to country.
Those of us within the EU who know how to make a deal generally try to order stuff from outside our national borders (but still within the EU so no customs apply, etc.) if you can save money that way.
Problem is that many national stores don't offer an international shop front to begin with - so you gotta awkwardly go through Google translate to order sth in France if you, like me, don't speak French.
Quoting: mphuZOf course. When the EU decided on price tags, all prices were adjusted not for poor Estonia, but for rich Germany and France. Common sense has lost again.Quite frankly, you should feel very ashamed for spreading BS like that. That is exactly how fake news start.
A good rule: if you don't know what you are talking about, don't talk about it. At least look up some official information before embarrassing yourself like that.
This is NOT about regional pricing, it is about region locking within the EU.
Regional pricing is not only legal, it is perfectly normal - you pay different prices for the same thing in different countries - the EU is no exception. I've been in seven countries within the EU (not counting airport stops) and went shopping (groceries, etc.) in all of them, and almost ALL prices differ from country to country.
Those of us within the EU who know how to make a deal generally try to order stuff from outside our national borders (but still within the EU so no customs apply, etc.) if you can save money that way.
Problem is that many national stores don't offer an international shop front to begin with - so you gotta awkwardly go through Google translate to order sth in France if you, like me, don't speak French.
Steampunk survival game Volcanoids has a huge combat upgrade
20 Jan 2021 at 8:14 am UTC
20 Jan 2021 at 8:14 am UTC
One of the survival games I'm most looking forward to.
Still holding out for "final" release, though.
Still holding out for "final" release, though.
The Ranchers is an upcoming open-world country-life RPG sim
13 Jan 2021 at 12:54 pm UTC
13 Jan 2021 at 12:54 pm UTC
Sounds interesting.
I'm not quite sure how the online component is going to work, though.
That you can do co-op within a farm seems clear, but that part about auctioning your products to other players?
Makes it sound like you are in an MMO-like world.
I'm not quite sure how the online component is going to work, though.
That you can do co-op within a farm seems clear, but that part about auctioning your products to other players?
Makes it sound like you are in an MMO-like world.
Is opening up your source code worth it? Terry Cavanagh thinks it was for VVVVVV
13 Jan 2021 at 9:01 am UTC Likes: 2
Something like OpenSSH greatly benefits from being open source.
But that is because the people using it have an increased interest in its continued improvement.
If you open sourced some (in-use!) MMO server code, you'd be pretty much the only user.
And the only people with any real interest in the code would be those looking at it for various reasons (including finding exploits that they won't disclose).
I don't know who would even have an interest in improving server source code of a running MMO beyond the extremely small cross-section of heavy users that can code and have the time and interest to code on that particular thing.
You might get lucky to catch the interest of some capable being who reports some security issues.
You might get unlucky to catch the interest of some capable being who absuses some security issues.
Not a decision I'd make if I ran the business.
13 Jan 2021 at 9:01 am UTC Likes: 2
Quoting: KlausFor third partly libraries, certainly.Quoting: TheSHEEEPObviously, if there is a security component (e.g. servers for multiplayer or MMO games), it is probably unwise to open up code, as it will make it much easier to find exploits.Conventional wisdom is rather that open-sourcing leads to safer, not more easily attacked, code. Not sure though how this translates to MMO servers; It is usually stated in the context of trusting the security of a platform in terms of correctly used encryption etc.
Something like OpenSSH greatly benefits from being open source.
But that is because the people using it have an increased interest in its continued improvement.
If you open sourced some (in-use!) MMO server code, you'd be pretty much the only user.
And the only people with any real interest in the code would be those looking at it for various reasons (including finding exploits that they won't disclose).
I don't know who would even have an interest in improving server source code of a running MMO beyond the extremely small cross-section of heavy users that can code and have the time and interest to code on that particular thing.
You might get lucky to catch the interest of some capable being who reports some security issues.
You might get unlucky to catch the interest of some capable being who absuses some security issues.
Not a decision I'd make if I ran the business.
Is opening up your source code worth it? Terry Cavanagh thinks it was for VVVVVV
11 Jan 2021 at 12:33 pm UTC Likes: 2
11 Jan 2021 at 12:33 pm UTC Likes: 2
It is also a somewhat different case here as the game's development is basically done, the game has been out for many years.
Doesn't mean it can't be patched and developed further, of course.
But it's still a different beast than something like KeeperRL and Mindustry.
Generally speaking, I think open sourcing your game is advantageous, but there are exceptions:
I wouldn't do it if there were parts of a game that in themselves posess monetary value - e.g. the creator of Dwarf Fortress has wisely not opened the source code (instead that will happen once he dies) as he knows very well the world creation algorithm alone would probably be worth a lot of money to some people.
That's not a very common problem, though, I think most games "just" combine known pieces in new ways.
Obviously, if there is a security component (e.g. servers for multiplayer or MMO games), it is probably unwise to open up code, as it will make it much easier to find exploits.
By now I think the myth that people will no longer buy a game when they can "just build it themselves" has been debunked - most people just don't have the required knowledge for that. If building a game ever became a thing as easy as opening a PDF, this might change, though.
Anyway, despite not being true, I think many devs still believe it is.
I also wouldn't do it if I thought the code was trash and opening it up would embarass me - honestly I think this might be the primary reason a lot of developers don't do it even if the other reasons don't hold true for them.
Personally, I think that most code is badly written anyway so it doesn't make much of a difference if some of my own is badly written as well :whistle:
Doesn't mean it can't be patched and developed further, of course.
But it's still a different beast than something like KeeperRL and Mindustry.
Generally speaking, I think open sourcing your game is advantageous, but there are exceptions:
I wouldn't do it if there were parts of a game that in themselves posess monetary value - e.g. the creator of Dwarf Fortress has wisely not opened the source code (instead that will happen once he dies) as he knows very well the world creation algorithm alone would probably be worth a lot of money to some people.
That's not a very common problem, though, I think most games "just" combine known pieces in new ways.
Obviously, if there is a security component (e.g. servers for multiplayer or MMO games), it is probably unwise to open up code, as it will make it much easier to find exploits.
By now I think the myth that people will no longer buy a game when they can "just build it themselves" has been debunked - most people just don't have the required knowledge for that. If building a game ever became a thing as easy as opening a PDF, this might change, though.
Anyway, despite not being true, I think many devs still believe it is.
I also wouldn't do it if I thought the code was trash and opening it up would embarass me - honestly I think this might be the primary reason a lot of developers don't do it even if the other reasons don't hold true for them.
Personally, I think that most code is badly written anyway so it doesn't make much of a difference if some of my own is badly written as well :whistle:
Mad Max and Shadow of Mordor delisted for Linux and macOS on Steam
5 Jan 2021 at 11:40 am UTC
Now, if some games have other, internal, Steam-independant reporting for platforms that wrongly count WINE as Windows, that's of course a different question.
5 Jan 2021 at 11:40 am UTC
Quoting: sbolokanovAnd unless the publishers keep track for who play via Proton, one is possibly counted as yet another Windows user.I'm 90% sure Proton plays are counted as Linux ones. Probably read that here in an article.
Now, if some games have other, internal, Steam-independant reporting for platforms that wrongly count WINE as Windows, that's of course a different question.
Mad Max and Shadow of Mordor delisted for Linux and macOS on Steam
4 Jan 2021 at 12:39 pm UTC Likes: 6
4 Jan 2021 at 12:39 pm UTC Likes: 6
Seems about on par for Feral's communication (or lack thereof) to not really explain, announce or communicate anything at all. Unless pressured into it - and even then you only get boilerplate text.
I'm glad the company exists and they do a good job development-wise.
But whoever's responsible for their communication needs to get some education on what their job actually is or look for a new one.
I'm glad the company exists and they do a good job development-wise.
But whoever's responsible for their communication needs to get some education on what their job actually is or look for a new one.
Cooler Master and KFC team up to create a 'console' PC and now I've seen everything
28 Dec 2020 at 12:07 pm UTC Likes: 1
28 Dec 2020 at 12:07 pm UTC Likes: 1
Quoting: CountVladHmm... the "Chicken Chamber" is kept warm by the computer, right? That just strikes me as a food poisoning incident waiting to happen!"Hey, there's still some chicken there from last month! And it's still hot, too!"
Valve continues tweaking the new 'Proton Experimental' for Cyberpunk 2077
15 Dec 2020 at 9:10 pm UTC Likes: 2
Anyway, I'm sure they were going on the (probably correct) assumption that only a same-day full release on all platforms would get them the maximum amount of purchases & pre-orders.
Early access would quite probably lower the amount of people willing to pre-order or to purchase to begin with.
After all, no game could possibly do justice to the hype that was around Cyberpunk.
15 Dec 2020 at 9:10 pm UTC Likes: 2
Quoting: GuestFWIW, i'm not pointing the finger to the developers alone, but to the entire ecosystem.Do consoles even have early access?
Wasn't early access an option?
Anyway, I'm sure they were going on the (probably correct) assumption that only a same-day full release on all platforms would get them the maximum amount of purchases & pre-orders.
Early access would quite probably lower the amount of people willing to pre-order or to purchase to begin with.
After all, no game could possibly do justice to the hype that was around Cyberpunk.
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